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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30112092">Anchus Definy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan/pseuds/Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan'>Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Sad Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Soft Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, sapnap is a good friend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:35:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,208</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30112092</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan/pseuds/Literal_Multifandom_Trashcan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dream didn’t even know how to process it. The team had celebrated, Quackity had celebrated, even the school had celebrated. The win would be bringing their team to nationals for the first time in the history of the debate team. </p><p>He remembered feeling proud. The team had gone to their local fast food place after the tournament, riding on the high of going to nationals. </p><p>He had felt happy.</p><p>In fact, he had felt so happy that he messaged his parents about his win. </p><p>Sure, maybe they didn’t care much about him, but they did care about their reputation. Hearing that their son’s debate pair brought the team to nationals for the first time-surely they would be proud of that, right? </p><p>They still hadn’t messaged him back. </p><p>or<br/>dream sadge and dadza go brr </p><p>(if any cc's state they are uncomfortable with content such as this i will ofc take it down! these characters are loosely based off of the dsmp characters, not cc's themselves)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>ALL PLATONIC, None</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>405</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Anchus Definy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/aghostkid/gifts">aghostkid</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dream sighed as he shut his locker, turning to face Sapnap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t a big deal, really, it just...felt like one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents were always away. As a child, he didn’t really understand why, grasping onto his parents pant legs with teary eyes. When he got older, though, he understood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were business people. Always busy with meetings and lavish parties. Dream was surprised that they had even decided to have a child in the first place, if he was honest. They weren’t people to settle down, which was evident by their constant absence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream was left home alone for almost as long as he could remember. For a majority of the year, his parents would be going from international conference to international conference. They would leave him a small amount of money to cover costs of food, and that was it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had long gotten used to their absence. To the large, empty, barely-lived in house. Foregoing fieldtrips and ‘family day’ in exchange for clutching his stomach in an empty house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The feeling had become more than familiar to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That didn’t mean it hurt any less. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Normally, though, he could at least distract himself from it. School proved to be a way to keep his mind off of things-studying, writing, programming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time around, school was the opposite of a distraction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had a debate tournament yesterday. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream had been on the debate team since the start of his high school career. At first he had just been a scrawny freshman, name unknown. People weren’t sure of his skill, which made finding a debate partner that much harder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, as the years went on, Dream built up a name for himself. The debate team valued him as one of their strongest arguers, and he had kept up a consistent win-streak throughout his time on the team. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was one of the few things that Dream was proud of. People didn’t like him because of his parents, didn’t like him because of his popularity, they liked him for his </span>
  <em>
    <span>skill</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He built himself up-he earned his spot on the team. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so, he had felt pretty confident going into the debate tournament the other day. At least-before he saw who he was debating against. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Him and his debate partner, Quackity, were up against the winners of nationals last year. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair had been understandably nervous. The team they were debating against had a huge reputation in the county, and were building up a name in the national debate community as well. Dream and Quackity were known, sure, but they were known in a much smaller circle. Plus, whether they won or not could make-or-break whether they go to nationals. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had surprised most of the team, to see Dream so nervous right before a debate. Normally he was the confident one, cool-headed and collected. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been different this time. Instead of Quackity, Dream had been the one nervously pacing and reviewing his script over and over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The team, thankfully, were encouraging and supportive, reminding the pair that even if they lost it was okay. The reassurance was appreciated, and Dream had managed to come to terms with the likely loss to happen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was why it had been such a surprise when they </span>
  <em>
    <span>won</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream didn’t even know how to process it. The team had celebrated, Quackity had celebrated, even the school had celebrated. The win would be bringing their team to nationals for the first time in the history of the debate team. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He remembered feeling proud. The team had gone to their local fast food place after the tournament, riding on the high of going to nationals. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In fact, he had felt so happy that he messaged his parents about his win. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure, maybe they didn’t care much about him, but they did care about their reputation. Hearing that their son’s debate pair brought the team to nationals for the first time-surely they would be proud of that, right? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They still hadn’t messaged him back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream had hoped that people would be over the win, and maybe he could use school as a distraction like he always did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he tuned back into Sapnap talking, Dream felt nausea rise in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t believe your parents would do that. I mean, seriously, it’s such a huge thing for the school and shit. Fuckin’ pieces of shit if you ask me-” Sapnap trailed off into angry muttering. This was a common occurrence, with Sapnap being really the only one who knew how bad Dream’s parents were. Still, though, guilt rose in Dream’s chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t his parents fault that he wasn’t worth staying around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we just-can we just drop it? Please?” Sapnap’s head whipped up to look at Dream, and his expression softened once he noticed the discomfort covering his friends face. Sighing heavily, he nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, man, we can drop it. C’mon, lets go meet up with Karl and Gogy. I think they brought you celebratory donuts, if you know what I mean.” Sapnap wiggled his eyebrows, and Dream lightly smacked his arm, ignoring the blush rising on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off.” Dream muttered with a grin. Sapnap just shoulder checked him, walking in front of Dream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least, with his friends, Dream didn’t have to think about the unread message in his chat history. All he had to think about was whether or not he wanted the glazed or the cream-filled donut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nice. Holding his donut, walking to class with Sapnap, George, and Karl, Dream felt happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He only hoped it would last. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t last. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Within the first few minutes of his first class, his teacher congratulated him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In front of everyone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Normally it would have been fine. Dream had long gotten used to being praised in public. Had gotten used to the jealous glances his classmates would send him. He had learned how to deal with it, and everything had been fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Until, as he was walking back to his seat, his teacher pat him on the back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your parents must be so proud of you!” She exclaimed, a big smile on her face. Dream mustered up his best smile to send back to her. He tried to ignore the lump that was building in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to cry. Taking his seat back, Dream picked up his pencil with shaky hands. He wished he would disappear. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel the eyes of all of his classmates locked onto his shaking form. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The class went on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream snuck a glance at his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No messages from his parents. He couldn’t look at his phone for too long, but if he had to guess, he bet they hadn’t even read the message. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hated it. He was being stupid. They were probably busy, and probably had better things to do than check the messages from their son. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream barely heard the bell ring to signify the end of the class period, moving subconsciously to get his backpack and head to the next class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the day passed in a fog. Dream knew he should be paying attention to his classes, knew he should be taking notes and participating, but he couldn’t. It felt like his head was floating away from the rest of his body. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each motion he did was without thought, purely on impulse. It didn’t even feel like he was in his own body, not with the heavy weight on his chest pulling his thoughts from his head to his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he could really think about was the empty hole in his heart, right where he wished his parents praise would go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it came around to lunchtime, Dream felt relieved. His friends would be able to pull him back down to reality. They had done it many times before, more than familiar with the way Dream got when he was hyperfixating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This didn’t feel like hyperfixating, though. This felt bad. It felt like Dream wasn’t in control of his thoughts and actions. It felt like he was watching himself go through the motions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt scary because Dream didn’t know how to make it stop. He wasn’t even sure he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make it stop. Floating was...nice. It was as nice as it was terrifying, and Dream was torn between staying in the air forever or going back to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the floating feeling, Dream forced himself to pull a fake smile onto his face as he walked into the cafeteria. Almost immediately, he was hit with a slew of congratulations. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed as though the news had spread through the school pretty quickly. A glance across the room told Dream that Quackity was getting equal amounts of praise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People approached Dream with a grin and a pat on his back. He thanked them, trying to ignore the wave of guilt that rushed over him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt empty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just fucking selfish. That was his problem. His parents always told him he asked for too much anyways, and now he was realizing they were right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Here he was, getting praised by everyone. He had done </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>won</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and yet it still wasn’t enough for him. The self loathing came on in waves, and Dream didn’t do anything to stop it from crashing over him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The compliments felt empty. He was thankful-so, so thankful, but it wasn’t the same. He heard other people’s parents praise them, heard the pride and love in their voice. He wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He wanted what they had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to hear his parents compliment him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they weren’t there, they hadn’t even read his message. They didn’t care. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a seat at his regular lunch table, Dream didn’t even bother joining in the conversation going on. All he could really think about was how selfish he was. He didn’t understand why people wanted to be friends with him in the first place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wallowing in self-pity, Dream didn’t notice Quackity saying his name. His head snapped up when the other boy nudged his arm gently, shock covering his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey D-money.” Quackity murmured quietly. Their other friends had glanced at the two before continuing the conversation, something which Dream was extremely thankful for. The last thing he wanted was more attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thought I told you to stop calling me D-money.” Dream allowed a weak smile onto his face to show that he was joking, and Quackity’s expression matched his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quackity seemed to tell that Dream wasn’t in a sociable mood. Instead of making Dream talk, he nudged George, who was sitting on the other side of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“George, D-money is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> nickname for Dream, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George seemed to understand what Quackity was attempting to do, launching into a full-fledged speech about why D-money was a good nickname for Dream. The rest of the group got in on it too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the first time that day, Dream laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The empty feeling stayed. At least for a little bit, though, he could pretend it was gone. Until lunch was over, Dream was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day was finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t think his hands had stopped shaking once. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was upset or something else. The day had been exhausting, and Dream found himself getting easily irritated at almost everything he felt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For as happy as Dream was about the day being over, he was dreading it too. Because now that school was done with, he would go back to his empty house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In between each class, he had glanced at his phone in hopes of a message. He still hadn’t gotten one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was fine. He was fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grabbing his books out of his locker, Dream shut it forcefully, frown on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t trust himself to be alone. It felt like he was seven years old again, lower lip trembling as he begged his parents not to leave again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time he wasn’t seven. This time, he had no excuse to be feeling so hurt and angry. He wasn’t a child, he was graduating high school soon. He should be able to handle a few weeks without his parents being there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The aforementioned boy flinched in surprise. He had forgotten Sapnap’s locker was next to his own. Trying to play it off, Dream brought his hand up to rub at his neck and allowed an easy grin to slide onto his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked fake. It felt fake, too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Sapnap!” Dream pushed enthusiasm into his voice, and Sapnap raised his eyebrows in criticism. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been friends with Dream for years, and was one of the few people who knew what his home life was like. Dream couldn’t hide anything from Sapnap, no matter how hard he tried. He had a foolproof bullshit detector, which was common knowledge among their friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap could see right through him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream deflated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His shoulders sunk down into the rest of his form, and his meticulously crafted smile melted away from his face, exposing bone-deep exhaustion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap silently surged forward, standing next to Dream. Dream resisted the urge to rest his head on Sapnap’s shoulder, remembering that they were both standing in one of the busiest hallways in school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to Wilbur’s study group today. Do you want to come with?” Sapnap’s voice was soft and easy to listen to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream hesitated. After a few seconds, he nodded. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do. It would be a good way to spend his time, at least until he had to go back to his empty house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following Sapnap out of the building, the two got into the others car. Most days Dream carpooled with Sapnap to school, but occasionally he would go with George or Bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had his own car, sure, but he spent most nights sleeping over at his friends houses. Most of the time it was just easier to ride with his friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t really mind, but Dream still felt a little guilty everytime. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slumping against the car seat, Dream put his earbuds in and shut his eyes. Exhaling deeply, he let the music wash over him, trying to relax. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of Dream’s favorite things was listening to music in the car. Not on the radio, though. He liked plugging his earbuds in and turning the volume up high. Looking outside of the window or just shutting his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was like he was transported to another reality. One where he was someone else. Where his parents were different people. It was calming and energizing all at the same time, and Dream couldn’t think of anything better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the car pulled to a stop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap poked at Dream’s shoulder. The other boy opened his eyes and blinked a few times, looking around in confusion. Pausing his music, Dream pulled his earbuds out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re at Wilbur’s place.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Dream shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his backpack off of the floor of the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream had never been to Wilbur’s house. It looked pretty standard for the neighborhood the family lived in. White fence, smooth stone exterior. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap walked up to the front door, and Dream hesitantly trailed behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t normally this nervous about meeting new people, but today he felt so...bad. It was messing him up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream rocked back and forth on his heels as he watched Sapnap knock on the door. It almost immediately swung open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing behind it was Philza, who wore a warm smile on his face. The man was clothed in his signature green robe, along with sweatpants, a button up, and...crocs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Never in his life did Dream think he would see Mr. Philza wearing bright green crocs. He was pretty sure his brain was short-circuting at the sight in front of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil waved at Sapnap before noticing the figure standing behind him, face contorting in surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil knew of Dream from the class he taught-coding and technology-but he wasn’t expecting him to tag along for the study session. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t matter. Phil was a cool dad. He knew how to roll with the punches. As the kids these days say, he’s ‘poggers’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Dream, Sapnap. Wilbur’s in the study room, not sure if he started yet or not. I’ll stay out of your way. Tommy’s at Tubbo’s place, so you don’t need to worry about him. I don’t think Techno cares very much-no offense. Yell if you need anything, or if Wilbur’s being an ass.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two boys nodded, and Sapnap pulled Dream inside. Dream absentmindedly glanced around as he followed Sapnap down the main hall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walls were covered in family pictures and certificates. Dream’s throat burned in jealousy, and his chest ached in yearning. He stayed silent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few more seconds of walking, they arrived in front of the so-called ‘study room’. Sapnap opened up the door, and the two were met with the sight of Wilbur pulling books out of his backpack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood in silence before Dream awkwardly cleared his throat to announce their presence. Wilbur’s head snapped up in surprise. Sapnap gave a little wave, setting his own bag down onto a chair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey. I brought Dream along, I hope thats okay.” Anxiety built up in Dream’s chest. He was under the impression that Sapnap had let Wilbur know he was tagging along. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur was going to be mad, Wilbur was going to kick him out-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s fine. Congratulations on the debate, by the way. Anyway, I was thinking we could start with science and then move onto math and history.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the two got settled, everyone got to work almost immediately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From what Dream had heard, every few weeks Sapnap and a few others would head over to Wilbur’s place and review with him. It was essentially an unofficial study group, for the sole reason that most of the time studying devolved into...chaos. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had talked with Wilbur and his family a few times, but they weren’t exactly friends. He was on decent terms with Wilbur and his younger brother Tommy, but him and Wilbur’s other brother Techno had a bit of a rivalry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not like they hated eachother. They didn’t go out of their way to actively harm eachother or anything-and sabotaging got old after a while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They just didn’t...like eachother either. The rivalry was all in good fun, sure, but both of them were pretty competitive when it came down to it. To everyone else in school, it seemed like the two were mortal enemies. In reality though, they were really just opposites. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream didn’t realize he had zoned out until Sapnap tapped his shoulder lightly, looking at him with an undertone of concern in his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave a little nod of acknowledgement, affirming that he was paying attention. Wilbur was looking between the two with quirked lips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Dream?” Glancing over at Wilbur, Dream tilted his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Dream tried to keep his voice quiet. He had the tendency to speak much louder than he realized, and it resulted in a large amount of embarrassment when someone had to tell him to tone it down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going on the field trip on Friday?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frowning, Dream shook his head. He really wished he could go, considering it was one of the few school trips that sounded actually interesting, but he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, you need a parent signature for the form, and my parents won’t be back until like, three weeks from now, I think.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap scoffed quietly, scowling. Dream just offered a nonchalant shrug. It wasn’t a big deal, really, and he wasn’t sure why Sapnap took it like one. This was normal for his family. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur’s eyebrows rose up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a long time to be home alone. Are they on vacation?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream shook his head yet again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not really a big deal. They have a lot of business meetings and stuff, so they’re gone most of the time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of looking understanding, Wilbur just looked concerned. Right as the other boy opened his mouth to speak, the door to the study room opened with almost comedic timing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil, Wilbur’s dad, walked into the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stood in the corner, awkwardly glancing at the group. Wilbur seemed to regain his bearings, glancing at his dad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Wilbur asked, brain working in overdrive. Phil shook his head, bringing his hand up to bashfully rub at the back of his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream felt dread slowly grow in his stomach, and he couldn’t stop his hands from starting to shake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Erm, hi boys. Nothing’s wrong, I promise. I was just walking by and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation-really didn’t mean to violate privacy or anything, I promise-but Dream?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream pulled on his most polite smile, masking the borderline panic he was feeling. It was fine. It wasn’t like his parents were abusive or anything. They were just gone sometimes. That was really all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Mr. Philza?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard your parents were out of town, and I figured being home alone in an empty house might suck, so I just thought I should let you know that your welcome to stay the night if you would like.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thats...not what Dream was expecting to hear. The offer was really nice, nicer than Dream deserved, but he didn’t want to burden Phil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was more than used to the emptiness by now, and the thought of taking up a spot in Phil’s house filled him with guilt. His family was rich, and he had more than enough. He didn’t have any right to complain about feeling lonely sometimes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream forced the polite smile to stay on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the offer, but it’s really not a big deal.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil and Wilbur looked skeptical, but Dream remained confident in his expression. Sapnap, who had been in the room for the whole conversation, nudged him roughly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream rolled his eyes. Sapnap nudged him again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Drop it.” Dream muttered quietly. The other boy glared. Dream met his expression with a matching one, and the two stared off for a few seconds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please. You know this isn’t okay for them to do.” Sapnap exclaimed quietly. A scowl made its way onto Dream’s face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a big deal. They aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>abusing</span>
  </em>
  <span> me or anything.” He murmured. Sapnap clenched his fists, glaring mixing with desperation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fucking-they leave you alone for months on end. I’ve seen the money they leave for you to use, and it’s not nearly enough to keep up a healthy lifestyle. And when they do come home it’s-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap’s voice broke. The two didn’t even realize they had started yelling, but they couldn’t stop. They didn’t get into fights often, but when they did it was messy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s bad, Dream. They’ve been doing this since I met you at fucking thirteen! For once in your life accept help from other people because this isn’t okay and you deserve parents who give a shit!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but interrupt. It was a small detail-he didn’t even know why he felt the need to correct it. In fact, it probably only made the whole situation worse, but Dream didn’t care. The emotion had taken over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seven. They’ve been like this since I was seven, which is why its not a fucking big deal. I’m used to it, okay? It’s fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream’s voice broke into an angry sob, and his face flushed in embarrassment. He wished he wasn’t an angry crier. Sapnap’s face softened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, Dream. I know you’re used to it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s fucked up. Please, stay with Phil, he knows how to deal with this shit. Just for one night, okay? Please.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t say no to Sapnap. He could never say no to his best friend. Slumping over, Dream buried his head in Sapnap’s shoulder. His tears soaked into Sapnap’s shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither of them cared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a minute or two, he slowly looked up. He had forgotten that Phil and Wilbur were still in the room, and he immediately burst into a slew of apologies. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was so embarrassing. Here he was, in fucking Wilbur Soot’s house, of all people, having a breakdown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil shushed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’m assuming your going to take up the offer, then?” The man murmured quietly, to which Dream slowly nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phil glanced at Wilbur, instructing the other boy to get the guest room ready. Turning back to Dream, he smiled kindly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, mate, you ready to sit through dinner with Techno </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream groaned. Sapnap pat his back in comfort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poor, poor Dream. Whatever shall he do?” Sapnap mocked. Dream just hit his arm in annoyance, grinning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite how annoyed he was acting, Dream felt fuller than he had in a long time. He felt happy-</span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe his parents didn’t care. Maybe they would never come back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later that night, sitting at the dining table, surrounded by yelling and laughing, Dream figured he could learn to be okay with that fact. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
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